


...where it hurts

by BriMac0518



Series: The Arcana - 50 Kisses [4]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Apprentice (The Arcana), M/M, Muriel is a shy boi, Other, Reader-Insert, very minor injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-16 22:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21278795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriMac0518/pseuds/BriMac0518
Summary: You loved taking walks in the woods with Muriel.





	...where it hurts

**Author's Note:**

> To make up for the heartache that was yesterday's fic, have some fluff featuring the shyest boy ever. First time writing Muriel. Hope I did him justice.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: Do not repost my work anywhere. I do not give my permission.

One of your favorite things to do was walk in the woods with Muriel, just taking in the scenery, collecting herbs and flowers and spending time with him. He was such a quiet man, but you enjoyed his company regardless, his presence alone comforting. You walked with him as often as you could and he didn't seem to mind indulging you, though he always had a bit of a blush staining his cheeks. Especially when you slipped your hand into his as you walked together. You found it utterly adorable.

The sun shone through the canopy of trees overhead and a light breeze drifted, pleasant as it hit your skin and trailed through your hair. It was a lovely day for a walk and you were eager to have your quality time with Muriel before you had to return to the city to meet with Asra. You looked up at him and smiled.

"Walk with me?" You watched as the familiar blush formed, a smile curling your lips. You didn't even have to reach for his hand that time. He did it for you by taking your own. That just made your smile widen. It was most certainly progress. One day at a time, you always told him. Just take it one day at a time and see where things went.

"Okay," Muriel replied quietly, his larger hand holding yours. "Stay close." Another endearing trait he had was always being concerned for you. It was his way of showing he cared and you treasured every instance where he displayed that concern. You squeezed his hand with your own in response.

"I promise I will," you said in order to appease him, noting the way he relaxed a bit upon hearing your words. The blush deepened, however, when you linked your fingers with his then began to walk through the trees outside of Muriel's hut. There was a favorite spot of yours nearby that had several herbs you tried to collect whenever you happened to visit.

Muriel said nothing on the walk, but seemed content to listen to you tell him stories about things that had happened to you since the last time you saw each other. You never got the feeling that he was annoyed or bored with you whenever that happened, so you talked to fill the silence, keeping a leisurely pace and not letting go of his hand.

"Julian is trying to convince Nadia that we should get rid of all of Lucio's statues in the city. He says he can think of several things we can do with them. His favorite option so far is blowing them up," you said, hearing Muriel's wry snort beside you.

"That's one idea," he said, keeping his gaze on the surrounding area, ever watchful. Inanna lumbered along at his other side, calm and quiet. A sign there likely wasn't any danger nearby.

"What would you want to do with them?" You looked up at him as you posed the question.

"Blowing them up works, I guess. Just so long as they'd end up destroyed. No one likes looking at him." Muriel most definitely never had and that wasn't ever going to change.

You chuckled quietly and squeezed his hand, nodding. "I'm fairly certain Nadia was already considering taking them all down anyway. Maybe she'll give in and let Julian do what he wants."

Muriel grunted in response, but offered no further verbal replies. That was fine with you. You moved on to talk about Asra and the newest bit of magic that he was teaching you even though Asra insisted that you really didn't need him to instruct you anymore.

When you reached that spot near the clearing where the herbs seemed to grow, you let go of Muriel's hand at last to peer around and try to find some that you could take back to the shop. It took a little while, but you found a good amount and carefully stored them in your bag for later before getting to your feet and looking at Muriel again. You smiled for him and he blushed automatically.

"Thank you, Muriel. This was a lovely walk. And I'm glad I found so many of these herbs. Usually there aren't this many." You extended your arm, offering your hand for him to take again. He was flustered, but brought his own up to take yours. That was how you noticed the cut across the back of his hand, lightly seeping blood. You immediately became concerned.

"Muriel, what happened?" You looked up at his face briefly, then back down at his hand, cradling it in both of yours so you could examine the wound. It wasn't bad really. Just a scratch.

"Nothing. Just a bramble." He shook his head, trying to tug his hand back, but you didn't let it go. It really wasn't a big deal to him. He'd had far worse after all. You both knew that. Yet a bit of a choked noise escaped him, his eyes widening as he watched your head lower and you brought his hand up. His face was quite a deeper shade thanks to his blush as your lips pressed softly to the skin of his hand near the cut. Just a soft, sweet little kiss, but it had managed to completely floor a giant.

Muriel stared at you with those wide eyes and you chuckled once you lifted your lips from his hand. "All better?" Your tone carried a hint of playfulness as your thumb rubbed over the back of his hand gently, careful not to touch the scratch. You could only smile with affection and amusement when he nodded his head slowly, dumbstruck.

"Good." You linked your arm with his and nodded in the direction you'd come from. "Shall we head back?"

He walked with you back to his hut, Inanna running ahead. He was blushing the entire way as you held his arm, but you didn't fail to notice the small smile on his lips when he thought you weren't looking.

**Author's Note:**

> Want to get updates on my writing? Come say hi on my social media. I’d love to hear from you! :)
> 
> [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/BriMac0518)   
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